GOOD NUTRITION AND HOW IT CAN BENEFIT THE YOUNG ATHLETE

One of the most neglected parts of athletic training and performance is that of nutrition. We at Oxford Valley Turtles Swimming believe nutrition is as important as correct practice routine, swimming technique, and sports psychology. Nutritional needs vary from male to female, and differ between pre and post adolescence.

While there is no "magic bullet" to sports nutrition, below is a great guide.

We will also be adding more links in the near future.

**An important note on the "low carb" diets. These diet routines are for the sedentary lifestyle!!! As a swimmer and active person, you obviously are not sedentary. Healthy carbohydrates are an important part of the athletic diet, combined with an adequate intake of protein and even healthy fat!! Check out the following link...Click

Here

Presented as a special service to OVP swimmers and their parents by the OVP Turtles Coaching Staff

Great Article on
Nutrition for the Young Athlete: Click

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Guide Contents: Nutrition for Peak Performance What Should I Eat? Night Before Competition Pre-competition Meal Snacks for Competition and after Training Eating Between Races After Competition Fluid Carbohydrate Fat Protein Vitamins Minerals Other Things to Remember

Nutrition for Peak Performance Nutrition is a vital part of any sports program. You, as an athlete, prepare physically and mentally over periods of months. Not to consider your individual dietary needs within that planned program could result in disappointment. To prepare for a better competitive performance, follow these simple nutritional guidelines: Always maximize glycogen stores by ingesting 50 - 60% carbohydrate in your daily diet. In training, practice the effects of changing your diet and see what works for you. What you eat and drink influences the quality of your performance. Plan your food intake for the day before your swim meet. Time your eating around your events to allow the digestive system to rest sufficiently long enough to work for you not against you. The ability to train to the levels which could ensure success in top competition may be considerably affected by the swimmer’s diet. A healthy diet is one that provides for the energy we need in training requirements. Energy is made up from three basic nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Carbohydrates are broken down and stored as glycogen; most is stored in the muscle, although some is stored in the liver. Fat is stored in the adipose tissue and muscle cells. Swimmers who eat sensibly should get all the vitamins, proteins and minerals they need from any food intake. At ‘steady state’ training, both fat and carbohydrate will provide for energy requirements. As exercise becomes more intense, the swimmer will rely more on carbohydrate and less fat is used. When exercising is high the energy in fat cannot be released quickly enough. The body cannot store vast amounts of carbohydrate; the muscles store it in the form of glycogen and these amounts are small, with the result that between sixty to ninety minutes of intensive training can use up most of it - and depletion leads to fatigue. If the swimmer has the wrong intake of food levels, he or she will reach a stage of being unable to cope, or of ‘falling adaptation’. What Should I Eat? A swimmer should eat foods rich in carbohydrate. These should be starchy, unrefined, complex carbohydrates such as whole grain cereals and cereal products (i.e. wholemeal bread, muesli, rice, pasta, potato etc.), beans, peas and lentils. These foods also contain protein, vitamins and minerals, and have a high content of fiber. You should not, as an athlete, rely heavily on simple carbohydrate such as candy, preserves, junk food, sodas, and sugar to provide the carbohydrate in your diet. It is difficult to say how much carbohydrate you should eat. 500g of carbohydrate provides 2000 calories. A diet containing 4000 calories per day could be made up of 50% total energy intake in the form of carbohydrate. Some female athletes have relative low energy intakes (1500 to 2000 calories total). Women do tend to be smaller therefore carbohydrate requirements to refuel smaller muscles should be less. Instead of a prescribed set amount of carbohydrate the best approach is to concentrate on foods high in carbohydrate at most meals. Ideally, they should provide at least half of the total energy in your diet. Night Before Competition High carbohydrate, low fat meal with plenty of liquids (fruit juice, water). Do not try to “stock up” and over eat to the point of discomfort. Stick to what are normal size meals for you. Here are some suggestions: Noodles Rice or pasta (use low fat sauce) Deep pan pizza (vegetarian or ham, stay away from fatty meats) Beans on toast Cereal and toast Potato in any form, but stay away from CHIPS. Pre-competition Meal The timing and nature of this meal depends on when the competition starts. You should aim to eat a meal 2 - 4 hours before the competition starts. Satisfy hunger with carbohydrate and fluid, but not to the level of discomfort due to eating too much, too close to the start of the race. The chosen meal should be high in carbohydrate and low in fat, and protein as these nutrients will slow down the absorption of carbohydrate which you need to turn into energy. Never go without food or drink. Fluids to ingest are water/fruit juice/a sport drink. Mashed bananas, rice pudding, yogurt and pop-corn are all ideal and can be an attractive alternative. Drink, small amounts and often, up to the start of a race. Carry your drinks bottle at all times, and drink! Here are some suggestions: Rice / pasta / potato dish Toast with marmalade / honey / jam Breakfast cereals or pop tarts Muffins / crumpets Current buns / scones / raisin bread Banana Pancakes Banana sandwiches Beans on toast Toasted sandwiches Snacks for Competition and After Training Sandwiches (try banana/jam/honey) Rolls / Pitta bread Muesli bars and dried fruit bars Popcorn Fresh / dried / canned fruit Dried cereal Raisin bread Sesame snack / sticks Fruit cake Plain type biscuits e.g. Garribaldi / Fig Rolls Jelly cubes Scones / Muffins / Crumpets Bowl of cereal Toast Carton low fat rice pudding Low fat fruit yogurts Crispbreads / Rice Cakes / Crackers Slice of pizza (thick crust) Cheese buns / pancakes Drinks - Natural Juices/Carbohydrate drinks/Endurox Eating Between Races The time you have between races and your individual performances will determine your food choices. With one hour before your race your carbohydrates will have to be refueled. This can be achieved by sports drinks, juices or squash. With longer than one hour between races a high carbohydrate meal or snack may be ingested. These will be the types of food suggested in the previous lists. More snacks are eaten on the day of the competition, but regular meals should be resumed after competition. Make sure your snacks are high carbohydrate rather than fatty, sugary snacks. For example do not eat chocolate bars as a snack on the day of competition. After Competition We all know what it is like after you have finished; you want to head straight for the nearest fast food restaurant. Try to avoid the temptation. However, if all your events have finished then by all means go ahead and treat yourself, you have deserved it. If, however, you are swimming the next day it is vital to refuel and rehydrate your body. Start drinking straight after the competition. Have a high carbohydrate snack as soon as possible, followed by a low fat meal later. This also applies after hard training. Some suggestions for post-competition meals include:- Chinese meals with lots of noodles. Pizza or pasta dishes with tomato based sauce. Chicken kebab with pitta bread and salad. Baked potato and salad. Indian food with rice and breads. Fluid Dehydration affects physical performance and as a result will prevent you from performing at your best. Thirst is not a reliable indication of the need for water and it is important to drink before you are thirsty. Make it a habit to drink before training and more importantly, immediately afterwards. If possible, drink between practice sets while training. The volume of fluid in the stomach should be kept as high as is comfortable in order to maximize the rate of fluid emptying the stomach. In practice this will mean drinking small amounts of fluid frequently. As well as the reduction of the body’s carbohydrate stores, the loss of fluid is one of the major causes of fatigue in prolonged exercise. Evidence clearly indicates that soft drinks or sports drinks which contain an energy form with carbohydrate together with electrolyte are more effective than plain water in improving performance. Fat Too much fat is associated with many pathological diseases (heart disease, obesity and cancer). It is easy to take in more energy, in the form of fat, than needed because fat is a concentrated source of energy. However, fat is required to provide essential fatty acids. These cannot be manufactured by the body and must be supplied in the diet. They are needed in small amounts and are used in the formation of cells membranes and substances known as prostaglandin’s, which are similar to hormones, and control a wide range of processes in the body. These essential fatty acids belong to the group of unsaturated fats. The other function of fat is to provide energy. Very active people, like competitive swimmers, rely on this for some of their energy needs. However, a healthy diet is one that provides most of its daily energy requirements in the form of carbohydrate rather than fat. It is advisable to replace saturated fat (fat in foods from animals), by unsaturated fats (foods generally found from vegetable sources). Carbohydrate Please see the section entitled What Should I Eat? for more details on carbohydrates. Protein Protein is an important nutrient for children and teenagers who are still growing. Exercising causes an increase in protein turnover. As most foods contain protein of some sort, most people eat more than enough to cover for the extra need. Eating a large amount of protein can be wasteful as the surplus is broken down and metabolised or converted into fat and stored. Protein is made up of small units called amino acids. In all there are 23 different amino acids which are all required by the body. The majority are made by the body while eight are contained from food. Extra good sources of amino acids are peanut butter, spinach, corn tacos, kidney beans, baked beans and pasta with cheese. Vitamins These do not provide energy but are important as they have specific functions in the body. They are not manufactured in the body so must therefore be provided in the diet in small amounts. Many foods are fortified with extra vitamins. An excess of vitamins will not improve performance. Name Vitamin Function Sources Retinal A Good vision, growth of bones, teeth and healthy skin. Protects against colds and infections. Fish, eggs, liver, milk, orange, green & yellow vegetables and fruit. Thiamin B1 Important for fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Repairs and maintain the nervous system. Cereals, eggs, milk, beef, poultry, potatoes, nuts, beans and peas. Riboflavin B2 Ads fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Milk, eggs, cheese, cereals, grains, meat and green leafy vegetables. Niacin - Needed for digestion and in the aerobic metabolism, particularly the metabolism of fats. Milk, lean meat, fish, eggs, liver, potatoes, peas, green & yellow beans and peanuts. Pyridoxine B6 Aids protein and fat metabolism, and in the formation of antibodies and red blood cells, nervous system. Meat, fish, whole grain peas, oats, rice, corn, milk, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach and green beans. Calciferol D Helps the absorption of calcium and phosphorus for the formation of bone and teeth. Dairy food, liver, fish, action of sunlight on skin. Panothenic - Important for fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism and the formation of haemoglobin. Liver, eggs, fish, lean beef, broccoli, skimmed milk, potatoes, cauliflower and tomatoes. Cobalamin B12 Important for digestion, bone growth and repair of nerve tissue. Involved in the formation of red blood cells and in fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Liver, meat, fish, milk, poultry and dairy products. Choline - Involved in fat metabolism, and in muscular contraction. Eggs, lean meat, beans and peas. Ascorbic Acid C Important for the metabolism of muscle tissue and for bone growth. Believed to aid in the utilization of oxygen and the production of red blood cells. Improves recovery time and prevents fatigue. Citrus fruits, melon, tomatoes, cabbage, leafy vegetables and potatoes. Biotin - Involved in fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Liver, chicken, fish, spinach, corn and peas. Tocopherol E Believed to aid production of red blood cells. Enhances activity of vitamins A and C. Wheat germ oil, corn, lettuce, whole grain cereals, eggs, rice, green leafy vegetables. Vegetable oils, milk and dairy products. - K Involved with the process of wound repair and blood clotting. Green leafy vegetables and egg yolk. 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